Written by Rokiah Mahmud of Borneo Bulletin. An early morning heavy downpour that soaked the quiet streets of Bandar Seri Begawan failed to dampen the spirit of patriotism, love and loyalty towards the nation as thousands of citizens and residents flooded the capital to celebrate Brunei Darussalam’s 33rd National Day on Thursday, 23rd February 2017.

Following the arrival of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien was awash with a multitude of colours as thousands, young and old, serving and retired as well as the differently abled, marched in unison across the field’s stretch in a show of patriotism and loyalty.

Witnessed by His Majesty who was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah; His Royal Highness Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel; and Her Royal Highness Princess Ameerah Wardatul Bolkiah, the magnificent National Day parade and celebration saw more than a 23,000-strong team ranging from field performers, parade participants to students lining the way for the royal convoy.

Upon arrival at the Taman, His Majesty and members of the royal family were greeted by the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Executive Committee for the 33rd National Day celebrations, as well as other members of the committee.

The royal convoy was greeted by enthusiastic people in their thousands with the royal salute and singing of the national anthem.

His Majesty then consented to inspect the royal guard of honour mounted by personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Royal Brunei Police Force.

With the theme ‘Accomplishing the National Vision’ (Menjayakan Wawasan Negara), yesterday’s event had been weeks in the making with thousands of participants enduring heat and humidity during coordinated military-precision training to provide the nation with the best the people were able to muster to mark one of Brunei’s most important historical events.

This year’s theme aimed to instil three main features – loyalty to the Sultan and country, belief in the values of Islam and the harmony of social and traditional practices.

The theme states that each citizen, resident as well as all sectors involved in national development have a role in ensuring that the Brunei Vision 2035 is successfully realised.

The Brunei Vision 2035 of His Majesty envisages making the country known throughout the world as a nation with people who are educated, highly skilled and successful that is measured by the highest international standards, as well as creating a dynamic and sustainable economy.

Yesterday’s celebration began with a parade led by flag bearers carrying a giant size national flag symbolising the nation’s sovereignty and the people’s spirit of independence and love and loyalty towards the nation.

Behind them were the 33 oath readers carrying national flags and the logo of the 33rd National Day; contingents of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Royal Brunei Police Force, differently abled, government ministries and departments, district representatives – all walked with full of confidence and pride reflecting their strong commitment in meeting the aspiration of the country.

A team of 100 students representing three different schools, namely Anggerek Desa Primary School, Haji Mohammad Jaafar Maun Primary School and St George’s School and the National Service Programme (PKBN) contingent of 360 trainees of the 6th intake performed a chorus describing the role of the young generation in realising the Brunei Vision 2035.

The parade also saw teams from higher education institutions, colleges, government and private secondary and primary schools, non-governmental organisations, banks, foreign associations as well as a group of excellent achievers marching to celebrate the country’s independence.

Educational institutions made up the largest single group in the parade with over 10,000 parading for them.

More than half of the march past participants comprised youth, showing their commitment in developing the nation’s capabilities.

Amid the march past, the proclamation of oath, led by Muhammad Ihsan Sabri bin Haji Abdul Manap, Acting Assistant Brunei-Muara District Officer as well as the call of ‘Allahu Akbar’ three times, led by Pengiran Muhammad Ameer Mubaarak bin Pengiran Haji Hashim, Administrative Officer Grade One at the Ministry of Education, echoed in the capital.

The oath readers’ team comprised 33 participants selected from various government and private sector institutions, higher education institutions, uniformed departments and associations. The team was also represented by two special needs participants who used sign language to deliver the oath.

The highlight of the 33rd National Day celebration was field performances showcased by some 7,133 participants that reflected solidarity among the people in upholding the commitment to realise the country’s vision.

Before leaving the Taman, His Majesty consented to meet and greet the participants and appreciate them for their committed efforts to make the 33rd National Day celebration a big success, overcoming a hostile weather. Image courtesy by Haqimie.

A prize for a pioneering achievement: Audi has won the Logistics Award for 2017 from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) in recognition of its FTS driverless vehicle transport system. The autonomously operating system has been in production operation at the Ingolstadt site since the beginning of the year. The parking robot named Ray sorts up to 2,000 cars per day for loading onto railway freight cars. This application is the only one of its kind to date in the automotive industry.

“Driverless transport systems are one of the key technologies of the Smart Factory,” said Prof. Dr. Hubert Waltl, Board Member for Production and Logistics at AUDI AG. “With their flexible navigation we are improving efficiency in vehicle transport as well. FTS Ray is now in production operation at the Ingolstadt plant. We will be transferring the concept to other processes and sites.” VDA President Matthias Wissmann emphasized: “Our industry thrives on innovative solutions like this. The digitalization and connection of production, and in fact of the entire value chain, is the biggest challenge for the industry. Concepts like that of the award-winner clearly demonstrate that the German automotive industry is on top here as well.”

There are now twelve parking robots in use at Audi’s main plant in Ingolstadt. They autonomously transport Audi models after production for railway loading. For this, one of the roughly six meter long and three meter wide robots uses laser sensors to determine the position and dimensions of a car and adjusts itself accordingly. Then the robot carefully lifts the car up to ten centimeters. A central, autonomous control system assigns a space to the robot where the robot can park it via the shortest route. Once a sufficient number of cars have accumulated for the same transport destination, a robot prepares them for loading on to the railway freight cars.

The driverless transport systems complete up to 8,000 movements per day this way, while covering about 500 kilometers (310.7 miles). They even change their own batteries: When the charge status is low, the robots promptly dock themselves onto the automated changing station and specially designed robots change out the batteries within a few minutes. The system operates reliably around the clock – on an open parking deck and at outdoor temperatures up to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit). It thus improves both efficiency and ergonomics for employees: They now have significantly shorter distances to walk and are exposed to fewer extreme weather conditions.

The Ray driverless transport system was created in partnership with Serva Transport Systems in Grabenstätt am Chiemsee. The parking robots are continuously being developed further – their weather resistance, for example. In the first quarter of 2017, a total of 18 parking robots are already sorting ready-to-transport cars in Audi railway loading within an area of 20,000 square meters (215,278.2 sq ft). Additional opportunities for their use in the Ingolstadt plant have already been identified.

Jerudong International School was buzzing with excitement recently in both the Senior and Junior School as the annual Maths weeks took place once again. The guest for the week was Jim Noble, a renowned mathematician who JIS and Shell Brunei brought into School. His key lecture ‘Mean Girls: Mathematics and the MEANing of Life’ was well received by students of all ages in the magnificent Arts Centre Auditorium. This sponsored event also included students from the International School Brunei, Chung Lian School, Seri Mulia Sarjana, St. Andrews School, STPRI School, SMJA and St. George’s School.

The new Head of the Maths Faculty, Rebecca Baker, an Oxford University Graduate who has worked in schools in the UK, Europe and Central America before joining JIS in August 2016, was delighted with the way students seized the opportunity to focus on Maths that week.

Mr Noble spoke to JIS students as well as 7 invited schools in the Auditorium of the JIS Arts Centre

JIS Seniors participating in House Sprint Maths in Maths Week

A display of Geodesic Domes made by Year 10 students from the workshop with Mr Noble

Oxford graduate, Ms Rebecca Baker, the new Head of Maths at JIS Senior School

Throughout the week, the maths faculty held various maths workshops such as ‘The Exponential Experience’, where students modelled the spread of disease as a way of understanding exponential growth. The ‘Geodesic Domes’ workshop taught students to use rich and engaging maths to make impressive geodesic domes. ‘Code Breaking’ challenged students to try to break different types of codes for students using logic, reasoning and creativity. Sprint Maths competitions were held for different age groups of students at lunchtimes.

On Friday, the Mathematics faculty, joined by Maths teachers from ISB, had an enriching workshop with Maths Week guest speaker, Jim Noble, where they had the opportunity to exchange ideas about teaching mathematics. Maths Week at JIS has always been a popular event amongst the students & is one of the most anticipated in the academic calendar. It looks as though the week with Mr Noble will continue this tradition! Press release by JIS.

Audi launched the Audi A3 at the 1996 Paris Motor Show. The car was developed on the Golf IV platform, which followed in 1997. From the very first generation, the Audi A3 has boasted innovations and quality features from its bigger siblings, making it the founder of the premium compact class. The A3 initially was available exclusively as a three-door hatchback in three trim lines. Seventeen years later, the A3 Sedan was unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show.

In 2014, TCY Motors Sdn Bhd as the sole Audi dealer/importer successfully launched the A3 Sedan locally and it went on to become the top selling Audi for Brunei the following year.

To coincide with the recent 20th anniversary of the A3 model family, the new updated A3 Sedan is now available for Brunei.

Media on for a test drive.

You can check out the Audi A3 at their showroom

The success model from Audi has become even more attractive: the new A3 Sedan approaches the starting line with a new 1.2 TFSI engine as well as newly designed headlights and taillights.

Updates feature a more sharply contoured and wider Singleframe grill and new headlight design. Now with full LED headlights with dynamic turn signals and cornering lights complimented by new rear light design.

The interior of the sporty four-door features a light and clean design. The 425-liter (15.0 cu ft) cargo space can be expanded by folding down the rear seat backs. Equipped with the new 1.2 TFSI engine, the sedan has a curb weight of just 1,280 kg (2822 lb).

Audi Brunei will offer the updated A3 Sedan with a new powerful and highly efficient 1.2 TFSI engine with power output of 81 kW (109 hp) and 175 Nm. S tronic dual-clutch transmission will remain a standard for the model. Exclusive 17-inch wheels will compliment the package.

The new Audi A3 Sedan will be offered at a competitive pricing of $41,489.00.

For more information and a test drive of the new Audi A3, please call the Audi Brunei Showroom at 244 2333 or follow them on social media at https://www.facebook.com/AudiBrunei/ and https://www.instagram.com/audibrunei/

Audi factory driver Lucas di Grassi on clinching third place in Buenos Aires (Argentina) maintained his second place in the Formula E standings. His teammate Daniel Abt in race three of the fully electric racing series shone with a comeback drive from grid position 16 to seventh place

Lucas di Grassi already gave Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport reason to cheer in qualifying. For the first time, the Brazilian clinched the top spot on the grid in Formula E and, as a result, scored three extra points. In the race, with temperatures of nearly 30 degrees centigrade in the shade, things initially did not go as expected. Di Grassi was struggling with heavy oversteer and dropped to position five. Following the car change halfway through the race, the Brazilian was able to attack again and to claim third place on the podium.

Audi factory driver Loïc Duval in the team of Dragon Racing finished in position six. Daniel Abt, following contact with the wall in qualifying, had to settle for grid position 16. With a strong race and a good strategy of the team the young German went on to battle his way forward to position seven, securing important points for the teams’ classification as a result.

B&O PLAY today introduced a new member to its family of wireless speakers for the home that brings people a beautiful and simple way to live with music. Designed by award-winning Cecilie Manz as a standalone speaker with multiroom audio capability, B&O PLAY M5 gives people a seamless way to connect to music they love, disperses the highly-acclaimed Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound evenly in all directions, and is clad in a premium wool-blend fabric that adds beauty and warmth to any interior arrangement.

“B&O PLAY M5 delivers perfectly on our vision of speakers for the home that play beautiful music and look wonderful doing so. For people who dream of a home where music flows through every room and speakers double as design objects that are controlled from the comfort of your smartphone or tablet, B&O PLAY M5 marks the perfect beginning to that journey”, says Jens Jermiin, Head of Global Marketing at B&O PLAY.

Sound that matches your interior

With its visually stunning appearance, the design of B&O PLAY M5 is inspired by the idea of using sound as part of your interior decoration. B&O PLAY M5 builds on the design language of B&O PLAY A6 and B&O PLAY A9, and drawing inspiration from this family B&O PLAY M5 is covered in a premium and acoustically transparent wool- blend fabric from Danish high-end manufacturer Kvadrat. The wool-cover can easily be replaced to fit your interior decorations, and using delicate multi-coloured threads the fabric provides acoustic transparency while maintaining the aesthetics in nuances that complements the speaker.

Dedication to superior craftsmanship

The speaker top is a disc made from crafted aluminium, which has been pearl blasted and anodized to create a matt and luxurious appearance. The disc provides a mesmerizing viscosity-based tactile functionality toned down to the essential, and with a 15 percent movement in each direction the disc will adjust the volume and calmly rotate itself to its neutral position – not too quickly and not too slowly as a testament to the beauty of functional design. Pressing the disc gently downwards will play or pause the speaker, and using the same gesture with an inactive B&O PLAY M5 will make it join other music experiences going on in your home.

“The design of B&O PLAY M5 is inspired by the way people use sound in their everyday lives – as a natural focal point for the family. The shape signals that sound is projected from all angles and visually, it can blend in or stand out in your home depending on personal preferences”, says the award-winning Danish industrial designer Cecilie Manz.

B&O PLAY M5 now available at Bang & Olufsen store at Sejalin Living

B&O PLAY M5 now available at Bang & Olufsen store at Sejalin Living

Fill your room with True360 degree Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound

Underneath the aluminium disc is a body manufactured from rigid polymer to house a large acoustic chamber that delivers the Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound optimized for the home.

• B&O PLAY M5 comes with True360 degree omnidirectional sound that lets you enjoy equally perfect sound no matter where you are placed. Three evenly distributed tweeters, a full range capable front facing midrange driver and a powerful 5” neodymium powered long stroke woofer that fires all its energy down towards a carefully designed dispenser, provide a uniform dispersion of well-balanced Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound all around.

• Three pre-set sound modes optimise the acoustic performance of the player depending on its position in the room. People can choose free standing, corner or wall position in Beoplay App.

• To optimize B&O PLAY M5 as a standalone speaker, B&O PLAY uses a proprietary Ambient Technology solution to create a true stereo sound experience from one single speaker. B&O PLAY creates this stereo like sound by psycho-acoustic knowhow and DSP capability to boost signal queues minimized by the physical size of B&O PLAY M5.

• The unique acoustic setup in B&O PLAY M5 is capable of beam direction and beam width control – a simpler version of the technology that Bang & Olufsen use in the prestigious BeoLab 90 speaker and the Bang & Olufsen patented reflected audio technology.

Connecting spaces with Chromecast built-in

B&O PLAY M5 comes with Chromecast built-in1, so the entire family can stream millions of songs from more than 100 music streaming services up to 96KHz/24bit lossless such as Spotify, Google Play Music and Pandora. Chromecast built-in is powered by the cloud, so you can connect more than one device to your speakers at a time and keep on using your phone while you stream your music. Answer a phone call, play a game or send a text with no sounds or ringtones to interrupt the music experience.

With B&O PLAY M5 you can easily connect to any Chromecast-enabled speaker to create a multi-room experience that lets music flow seamlessly through every room in your home. This includes the B&O PLAY speakers B&O PLAY A6 and B&O PLAY A9, which both come with Chromecast built-in and is a perfect solution for extending the Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound and beautiful design throughout your home. B&O PLAY M5 also supports Beolink Multiroom, Spotify Connect and QPlay 2.02 and at the same time embraces Bluetooth and Apple Airplay.

Now the B&O PLAY M5 is available at Bang & Olufsen store at Sejalin Living, Kiarong. Do drop by to check it out.

Baiduri Bank recently concluded a debit card promotion where customers who signed up for a new Baiduri UnionPay debit card or paid for their purchases in selected Asian destinations using their card were automatically entered into a draw to win travel packages to selected destinations in Asia.

At a prize presentation event held at the Banking Hall of their Kiarong Branch today, eight lucky customers went home with travel packages and other travel accessories after they were selected as winners in Baiduri’s “Travel and Get Rewarded with UnionPay” promotion which ran from 1st November until 31st December 2016.

Ms Winnie Ang, Manager of Consumer Financing in Baiduri Bank was on hand to present the prizes to the winners. Elaborating on the promotion, she said, “Aside from providing users with cashless convenience and PIN based security, customers who signed up or use their Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card during the promotion period stood a chance to win amazing travel packages.”

Ms Winnie Ang, Manager of Consumer Financing in Baiduri Bank, giving away the prizes to all the winners

Customers also enjoyed a fabulous 5% cashback on all their transactions made on their Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card in any of the selected countries, applicable for cumulative spending of up to BND3,000 during the promotion period.

The Baiduri UnionPay Debit Card is accepted at over 2,000 local merchants and more than 26 million UnionPay merchants in over 150 countries. The card also allows cash withdrawals at all Baiduri ATMs and over 1.9 million ATMs worldwide.

It requires a personalized identification number (PIN) to be keyed in by the cardholder for any transactions to be approved, thus, giving cardholders a high level of protection from fraud or misuse of the card. The Baiduri UnionPay debit card is the only PIN based card currently available in Brunei.

For more information on Baiduri Bank’s current promotions and events, the public can also follow Baiduri Bank Group on Facebook or @baiduribank on Instagram and Twitter.

KFC Brunei adds a delicious twist to your day with the all-new signature KFC Twister. Introducing a choice of two distinct flavours, the Hot & Zesty Twister and the Cheezy Twister from only BND 3.00 each, fans are set for another tasty KFC treat.

Made fresh in stores, the KFC Twister is packed with crunchy Zinger strips, crisp lettuce, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, all wrapped in a toasted tortilla. With a choice of special chili-lime sauce in the Hot & Zesty Twister, or creamy jalapeño cheese and mayo in the Cheezy Twister, both KFC Twisters offer a refreshing new twist to your daily fare.

“Our fans have spoken and the KFC Twister is back by popular demand. This product delivers 100% authentic, signature KFC flavors in a portable format that can be enjoyed on-the-go.” said Jaymee Lau, KFC Marketing.

“Fans will be hard-pressed to choose between the two popular flavours: Hot & Zesty Twister that features spicy and lime hints, and the Cheezy Twister with the unmistakable KFC signature cheese. That’s why we also offer a Double Twister Combo for those who want both Twisters,” she added.

The KFC Twister is available ala carte or in combo meals. The basic Twister Combo offers a choice of either Hot & Zesty Twister or the Cheezy Twister, while the Double Twister Combo offers both Twisters, so you can have it all. All combo meals come with KFC Crispier Fries and a carbonated drink.

Available for a limited time only across KFC restaurants nationwide from 21 February 2017 while stocks last. So Twister it up today!

The last day of Japanese Language & Culture Week was filled with exciting activities including kite making workshop for kids that took place at 11am to 12pm yesterday. Other activities that took place in the afternoon were Taiko Japanese Drum performance by HIBIKIYA, Yoyo & Kendama performance by JENESYS Alumni, Japanese Cooking demonstration by Chef Usuki, Study in Japan sharing session by Brunei Association of Japan Alumni, as well as other singing and dancing performances by BJFA-UBD Chapter, SSEAYP Alumni, Soul Industry and Brunei Cosplayers.

Throughout the event, there was a lucky draw by Times Square and the prize presentation took place yesterday at 8pm. Ten prizes were given away last night and the presentation was done by the marketing manager of Times Square as well as the general manager, Mrs Amal Majidah Hj Suhaili. Prizes for the lucky draw comprised of hotel stay vouchers from Times Hotel, Ba’diah Hotel, Starlogde Hotel, Parkview Hotel and Jubilee Hotel as well as restaurant vouchers from Excapade Restaurant and Shinobu Sushi Restaurant. About 100 participants registered for the lucky draw during the three days event. The grand prize winner Taufiq Al Hakim bin Mohamad Jais brought home Canon Camera Ixus 175.

There was also a prize presentation for the Manga colouring competition last night. Present to give away the prizes was Lim Yee Liang, marketing manager of Times Square. The Manga colouring competition, which took place on the first day of the event was held by Best Eastern. First place went to Elysia Lim Pei Ying bringing home goodie bag whereas Tang Ann Yii and Chia Xuan Lei won second and third place respectively, bringing home goodie bag as prizes. The event ended with dance performances by Soul Industry and the Brunei Cosplay community. More pictures on their Facebook Page.

Moreover, Times Square Shopping Centre will be having a 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on 24th until 26th February 2017 as well as a National Chess Tournament on the same dates. For further information, please call 2338208 or 2338006 during office hours.

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